Another Day, Another Dauphine (Jacket)...

In the annals of blog-writing, this will certainly not be my most scintillating, however, because I am in a rush this morning (yes, it is 5:30 am), this will be one of my shortest! :)

I am off to the Virginia Historical Society today to view a leck-chore (lecture for those of you not schooled in the Richmond accent) and because my dad is a bit of a nut, we are taking the train to get there and back. It will take twice the time as the car would, but hey, at least we can drink wine at lunch thereafter. ;)

BTW, the title of this post is for HeidiG. who clearly LOVED my last post's title of "These Target Finds Really Hit the Spot." Gotta love a little pun action, eh?

Another Day, Another Dauphine (Jacket)! by dinagideon featuring J Crew bags

Above is a polyvore of an outfit worn a couple of weeks ago. I am only bothering to show it because every other day or so someone over on the Mothership will ask what to wear with the Dauphine jacket. So here is another way I have found to wear it. I still prefer the first way I wore it, but since I have to be practical when taking Rex to preschool (Alecias and running around after him--not so much).


Sizes:
Jacket: Size 2. Still some Dauphine jackets available!
Tee: Size Small. This is the Spray Art Tee. I think this is well made and lovely. I have no idea why it hasn't been snatched up. (Oh, yeah, because J. Crew tees have a bad rep. Don't worry, this one is a good one, ladies.)
Pants: Size 6. These are the faded denim Minnies. Very comfy. Unlike the denim minnies, where you have to size up, these denim Minnies you should be in your normal minnie size (i.e. size down from your normal J. Crew pants size). Oof, my goodness...the head spins.
Shoes: Size 10. Cole-Haan has an UBER clearance store RIGHT across the hall from the J. Crew outlet at Potomac Mills. Can we just spell H-E-A-V-E-N? ;)


This is a sneak peek of some jewelry that I will be highlighting tomorrow in a special post over here at My Superfluities. Lucky me, I get to meet some incredibly talented people. Ruth Barzel is a lovely lady that I know through coaching swimming. Turns out that we are two peas in a pod when it comes to fashion (in other words, Ruth is a definite JCA). Except, get this, because I show up for swim coaching in (gulp) sweats and a swimsuit, Ruth had NO IDEA that I was all into fashion and accessories, or that I even had a blog (well, okay, I totally get that--I am not exactly Dooce, am I?).

Well one day we got to talking and it turns out that Ruth is amazing jewelry designer. Look at the GORGEOUS "rebel" oxidized silver chain bracelet that she made. Umm, Fenton Fallon for J. Crew? You have some serious competition.

For those of you looking for something a bit simpler, Ruth has you covered. More on her other designs tomorrow, but if you want a quick sneak peek, take a gander here. :)

P.S. Because you all are SO FAB, Ruth says that we can have a discount of 15% by putting the code "super" during checkout. All her designs come packaged in an elegant box, AND there is always free shipping (yay!).

Talk soon. Wish me luck on our trip today!

Haircut and Some New Glasses! (Plus Evening Primrose Cardi Makes Its Debut!)

Yes, yes, yes, the new arrivals are over at jcrew.com. And no, no, no, I just can't even think about getting any of them because...a) I don't really have any money (gotta start my for sale blog...that blog may be my only way to earn any money to buy new pretties), and b) I took a peek at the new arrivals and for the first time, ever, was underwhelmed. I saw three things that were okay (not even awesome)...which may just mean this is the first month in a long time I am not going to get anything from J. Crew. (That said, I went to the outlet this weekend and there are some really pretty things for sale there...)

Okay...in order of my liking them, here are the three things I like: Terra paisley shift dress (I love almost everything this model wears, though...huh...); Beaded ribbon-front top; and the vineyard necklace.

Now, here are some things to ponder about some of the new items and the models that are showcasing them...
1) What happened to her arm? YIKES! Did she break it? And look, it still ISN'T healed!
2) Okay, hon, your mouth is open and here in Virginia (esp. in the summer), you just don't do that or flies are gonna use your mouth as a home. Yuck.
3) Oh, my GOODNESS. This dress is AWFUL.

Okay...that's enough...back to my post. Yes, I got a haircut (about two weeks ago)...nothing dramatic, but enough to make a difference. And yes, I wear contacts and glasses, so I got new glasses and contacts. It has been FOREVER since the last time I went to the eye doctor. Supposedly your eyes change shape when you are pregnant and so you are advised NOT to go to the eye doctor until after your pregnancies. Well, I have been either pregnant or nursing for the past three years and realized I hated not being able to see well (my prescription is old), plus when I was pregnant with REX (so a long, long time ago), I fell and broke my glasses (I was hurt way MORE than Rex, thank God) and never got a replacement pair, so there you go.

I will also show you all what the evening primrose cardi looks like in real life, in an actual outfit. I reviewed it here, but even with our cooler temps (very odd for here in September), it still isn't cool enough for sweaters (except today...it is chilly out). I wore this cardi to church so that I could be more conservative, my church is one of the most conservative in this area, so I am used to being very careful in my outfits.


Only teasing...no haircut. No, no, now I am kidding...this is the before picture. I am wearing all J. Crew, from necklace to sandals. The necklace is the antique gold manor necklace, the top is a silk pleated top in tea rose from spring 2009, the shorts are the stretch summerweight bermudas in tulip, and the sandals are the posie sandals (also spring 2009) in caramel.

I went tonal in top and bottom and necklace and shoes. I like this bright pink with a softer, yet still saturated pink. The bronze/caramel accents are nice to help mute the brightness a bit.


And here it is, my new bob haircut. I LOVE IT! I love that I don't have hair sitting on my neck, I love that it is thinned out, and I love that I can really wash and go and not do much more than put some serum in my hair, brush, and there you are...when it dries, I put an additional serum in to stop frizzing. So far it has worked well. I KNOW I have to maintain it once every eight weeks or so. And because I am officially in love with my sweet, mothering hairdresser (plus the shop is really close to wear Mr. Dina gets his hair cut), I will have no problem going back in early November. And this haircut...30 dollars. Yep, 30 dollars. Well, I added 10 for the tip, but come on, 40? That's a great price for what I got!

To Chuch I Go... by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Here is the polyvore for the outfit I wore to church (with the evening primrose cardigan).


I love this simple, grey stretch jersey (AppGal, it's calling your name) dress from Ann Taylor Loft. However, it shows some skin, so I had to put the cardigan on top.

The glasses are by Jones New York, and they are a brown horn color. I have a narrow face, and it is quite long, so I am limited in what looks good as far as glasses. The shape must be rounded like an egg sitting on its side and the frame mustn't be too thick. The ends of the frames must extend past my cheekbones a bit (to give my face more width). There were maybe five glasses that worked in the entire store. It was a very tiring day trying to figure out which ones to buy. I do love these glasses. My brother says I look like a lovely librarian in them. Ah, how sweet!


And here I am...in action, even, with the cardi on. I am stepping over Rex to get to the camera to take it from Mr. Dina, and oh, that card, he took a picture. Out of the MILLIONS of these ridiculous shots he has taken in the past year, this is the only one that has turned out well. I do feel a bit "model-like" because of the general feel of the photo (not because I feel I should be a model). That said, doesn't the cardigan look great with the dress?

So that is all for now. I meant to do a quick post, and again, what do you know, I just ramble and ramble. :)

I have updated my last post, by the way, to include some reviews of the dressy jersey ruffle neck dress. Turns out Gigiofca and some other folks have reviewed it for their blogs, too!

Have a great day, all!

Three Outfits for One Day--All Are Red, White, and Blue!!!

I am feeling a wee bit tired today (Rex has been very trying already and it is barely 5 pm), so I won't being going on and on like I normally do. However, it is my FAVORITE holiday, so I knew I needed to post, if only to say "Happy Independence Day!!!" Yay, America. ;)

Also, I want for you all, right now, to go and check out the awesome blog known as Deco Aurora...it is the ultimate blog for people who love summer and summertime things...I am in love with the posts...Mslay (the blog author) always transports me with her beautiful pictures and lovely ideas. If you enjoy what you see, become a follower. Trust me, she won't let you down...

I will post three outfits because I have a spare moment and want to show that I still want to take an active role in my own blog (heck, I even commented back on the last two posts...imagine!).

Plus, the three outfits SLIGHTLY tie into Independence Day in that they all either have red, white, or blue. (And don't fret, I am definitely wearing something patriotic today and yes, we have taken photos...)

Navy Blue and Pink--Lovely Combo! by dinagideon on Polyvore.com

Here is the Polyvore for outfit #1, the outfit I wore to take Mr. Dina out for Father's Day.


Here I am with Mr. Dina, just about to leave for Father's Day. I am wearing the incredible Ruffled-hemmed jersey dress. I have a confession...as awesome as this dress is, I really hate ties on dresses...I feel they are superfluous (heehee), so I took it and tied it twice, so the bow would tie in front...ahh, much better. And aren't these shoes too die for? I wouldn't have even noticed them had it not been for 3-Penny Princess waxing poetically about them at this post.


Here is the dress a bit more buttoned up with the soiree sateen blazer. I think if I was still working, I would definitely teach in this get-up...so comfy and yet so polished!

Ruffles for a Graduation Party!!! by dinagideon on Polyvore.com

Here is the Polyvore for outfit #2, an outfit I wore to a former student's graduation party (I taught him my first year teaching, and he is easily my favorite student ever).


Here is the dress that I waxed poetically about in this post, but in navy. Ahh, navy...you are such a fine neutral. I am also wearing the very pretty Seychelles necklace that I won on ebay for half its original price. The shoes are the Carina metallic leather sandals and they got me through Costco, so I can definitely say they are possibly the comfiest shoes that J. Crew has made that I have owned. (And, yes, you read that right, I shopped at Costco in this outfit. Yes, people were looking at me...I just smiled and moved on...)


Here is the outfit from the side. I love that bow at the front...very feminine.

There is no polyvore for outfit #3, but I have included a pic so I can clip to polyvore right from this post!!!


I wore this to go out to a dinner with a friend on June 29, 2009. We walked from my house to a restaurant about a mile away, so we needed to look dressy but be sensible. This was my take on "dressy but comfy." The dress is from Anthropologie by the company Maeve. I have noticed that this company makes their dresses kind of large. This is a six and is one of the few by them that fits closely. The other dress I have in a six is HUGE. Weird...

The shoes are by Born and are the sandals I wore all over NYC. The necklace is Erickson Beamon for Target and the clutch is the makeup giveaway bag from Clinique but styled by Trina Turk.


Here is the dress for Polyvore. It is A BRIGHT dress. You could definitely see me coming that night...

Happy Independence Day, you all...I promise, Coccodrillo Pencil Skirt is coming soon...but I also know a lot of you take the weekend off from computing, and I figure you all would rather miss this post than the review of that skirt.

A Mini-Skirt for the Zoo. Yes, I Realize How Inappropriate that Sounds...

See, I know that you are not "supposed" to wear mini-skirts over the age of 35. I get that, I really, really do. But there is a huge part of me that is kind of ticked off. What if you don't act or look or feel like that should be your rule? Or what if you have been working your tail off to lose weight since September and you can finally fit into a size 8 mini-skirt from J. Crew and you want to celebrate. And when I say fit into, I don't mean lying down on the bed while my hubby zips it up for me fitting into...I mean, I can actually zip it up no problem, sit down no problem, etc. So what if I am THIS close to 35 that this may mean I am "breaking" the rule in a few years?

Also, 3-Penny Princess said, "Just try the mini-skirt..." So I did.

Plus, J'Adore the Stores tried one on and looked so cute (minus the funky sides not meeting up thing-y)...

And Drewablank said that if anyone is snarky to me today, they should spend time in Comment Purgatory. :) Cute...

And as I promised HeidiG., I will never, ever wear this to either inappropriate places or with anything other than flats. :) PROMISE.

Also, just check out the lovely and gorgeous Joyce if you want to see who my inspiration was to post this outfit. I mean...man she can ROCK those shorts. You look great, Joyce!!!

Okay, without further discussion...

Two J. Crew Store Only Items Make Their Appearance!!! by dinagideon on Polyvore.com

This is the polyvore. Thank you to Slastena and toastfacekillah (polyvore names) for the two items I borrowed from you to create it...


Here it is full-length. I discovered that if you pull the skirt down on your hips, you can make the skirt that much longer. I am 5'8" and the skirt on the hips made it be just a few inches above the knee. By the way, this "owl-eye/wallpaper" mini is only for sale in the stores...so no on-line purchasing is possible. The top is also only in-store and I have a suspicion they are all sold out by now. The shoes are the Earth sandals I wear everywhere during the summer.

The skirt also has some stretch, which is probably every lady's favorite thing in any item of clothing, especially if you are a lady like me and you really need the stretch on certain days...

Tall ladies...if you want to (and I may do this), there is about 2 inches of fabric at the hem that we could play with if we are willing to pay a tailor to lengthen the skirt...just a thought...I had the idea after I visited A Bigger Closet's post on a pair of shorts she was wearing.

Only warning...the skirt gets kinda wrinkly...but since I was going to be out in the hot, hot sun and air, I just didn't give one "hoot" because it wasn't like I was out to impress the elephants we were going to see.


Here is the outfit AFTER we went to the zoo. The skirt did ride up a bit (it is shorter in length in this pic), but overall the outfit looks amazingly similar to pic #1. I guess you know now that I officially "HEART" this skirt. The tee also stood up to the day. :) Oh, and CW was also in good form...no wrinkling on her part, either.


As much as I like Slastena's pic in polyvore, I want to clip my own...so this is for polyvore.

By the way, do any of you have any mini recommendations now that I am branching out?

Review of a Dress I Actually Wore to School...No Holes, Everyone!!! (CHEER!!!)

Let me start by saying that I have commented back on the last three blog entries I did...but just in case you haven't checked my comments lately...I have had to insert this clause to all my latest commenting:

From this point until the end of the school year, I will only be able to general comment back unless a specific question is asked. I hate this because I love the conversations we have so much, but something has to give in my short supply of time. :) I know you all are fine with this...but better for me to let you know what is going on rather than you all thinking I am ignoring you...which I would never, ever do!

I CANNOT wait until June 24, 2009, because this is the date that I anticipate that I can actually start resuming my favorite type of commenting...responding to everyone...I have a lot of fun writing back to what you all have written...

I am sure some of you all have noticed that I am not commenting as much on your wonderful posts, either, and I anticipate that will resume with full force around the same time. :) So YAY for school almost being done!!! So long, sixth-graders!


Okay...I officially LOVE the jersey dresses by J. Crew. They come in these fantastic colors and the material is so soft and stretchy and drapey and almost everyone I have seen wearing them looks so great! So good on you, J. Crew for going full-steam ahead with more dresses in this material.

I happen to own a few dresses in this material and they are my go-to favorites for dressy casual in the summer and spring. It feels so good to slip on just a dress and some sandals and just go. These dresses are the epitome of breezy.

In January, I fell in love with the Sara dress. Unfortunately by the time they went on sale, they were sold out in all of the smalls (the size I wear in the jersey dresses). Sigh. But then the June arrivals appeared and I nearly fell over from my excitement. (Well, I was sitting when I saw it, so I guess I would have fallen 2o inches, but still...) The dress I fell in love with is the one I am wearing above and the one that you can find here at jcrew.com. It is called the dressy jersey cinched dress and it is 78 well-spent dollars (well, I got it for 20% off).

Summerilla also owns it and looks so pretty in it.

You can also buy it in a grey color. (I wish it came in other colors...if they had this in tea rose or orange, I would so buy them...)

When you go on jcrew.com to check it out, notice that the model has her sleeves all scrunched up so it looks like it is sleeveless. Yes you can do that, but it is a lot of trouble. I happen to LOVE cap-sleeves, so I am going to keep it this way, but if you want, that way is another option.

As you can see, the small fits well. I would encourage all ladies who buy it to think, "it has a lot of material...so unless I am exceptionally busty...buy smaller." Since I have more junk in my trunk than on top...I definitely went with a small. I am wearing a cami because I cannot reveal that much of me at school...no way, no how. Plus the peek of color looks pretty! Any other color camis that you all think I should try with this?


Here is the back of the dress. Obviously a pleat got caught, which is why one part looks a bit askew. Don't worry, when you move, the skirt moves too. The skirt was not permanently like that all day.

I put this up so I could show how I think the belt part is meant to be wrapped in back so you can do the bow in front (very top photo). I really like the belt...such a fabulous way to cinch your upper-waist.


And I couldn't resist...Rex came up to me while I was about to take my last shot and flung himself into my arms. He had just woken up (which is why his eyes are barely open) and demanded a hug. Swoon. I love little kids and their affection. They often don't hug and kiss freely if there is something else distracting them, so the times they do give it...so very special.

You all have a nice day...Hope some of you will consider this dress...

Friday, May 1, 2009...Dina Does Drinks with No Daughter or Son...

First thing I want to say is "thank you" to the wonderful anonymous commenter over at J. Crew Aficionada who mentioned my blog as one her (maybe his) blogs that she (or he) regularly visits because she (or he) like our positive attitudes. AWESOME!!! I was honored along with FFM, Slastena, Gigi, Heidi, and many others...I read that today (Tuesday, May 5, 2009) and I have been kind of sad these past few days (has something to do with Rex and his Bug Walks class that he is no longer a part of) and seeing this comment totally brightened my day.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
And now back to the show...

So my friend Barbara said we HAD to go and get margaritas on Friday night. I COMPLETELY agreed. Ask any teacher you know and they will all say Friday night IS the night to drink. Every teacher I know is just done by 3 pm on Friday.

I went home and changed into something fancy (or for me, fancy). You wouldn't have appreciated the Friday (day) look. Let's all say it together...LAME! ;)


However, my night look...AWESOME. I felt so good wearing this. I, along with many other bloggers (like Gigiofca and My Closet, My Baby, and I) fell in love with this tunic top. Of course, you know that I love this print. The Fresco print may be one of my favorites ever. Pink, Green, and Olive...perfect! The addition of embroidery makes this top even more special. And special it was...it originally sold for 150 dollars...eek! But I took my Mickey card out one night and purchased it (on sale for 89 dollars) for only 50 dollars (they also let me use my teacher discount...so sweet). I bought it in a size 8 because I wanted it to fit a bit loose...and I think it looks very nice this way. The pants are Ann Taylor Loft from a few years ago and the sandals are Aerosoles, also from a few years ago. No need for anything else...these three pieces are perfect together and require no accessories!


Here is a close-up of the gorgeous detailing. I think this blouse was a good price at 89 dollars, but you definitely can't beat 50!

By the way, I will polyvore this top tonight...if any of you purchase it...I should have it in my items soon!

Have a great afternoon!

What I wore yesterday 2/12/09!

I purchased this Bahia merino sweater last January because I fell in love with the print. This print and the Campo de Fiore print (I have the sweater dress) were so special I didn't mind paying full price for them. (Although I think I got this sweater for 59.99 and not 88.00.) I also own the cross back tank and bikini in this print. I love that this sweater is short sleeves. I feel like it is perfect winter wear for me because I tend to run "hot." The pants are some pair of dockers that are really big on me now, but not so big that I have to retire them. The shoes are the Etta flats in grey and bronze from the Fall of 2007.

I couldn't polyvore this outfit because these items aren't present and I could use their clipper tool, but honestly, I teach, I nurse a baby, I raise a two-year old who has temper tantrums, and I attempt to keep my hubby happy. I will use the clipper when I get a little more time on my hands! :)


Here is a close-up of this print. I know many don't like it because it is garish, but I find the mid-century feel of the print spectacular. I love all things '50s and '60s so no wonder I gravitated to this...

Please excuse how tired I look. I obviously need more sleep! :)